Transport in Australia

Adults employed in the transport, postal and warehousing industry as a percentage of the adult population in Australia in the 2011 census, divided geographically by statistical local area

There are many forms of transport in Australia. The nation is highly dependent on road transport. There are more than 300 airports with paved runways. An extensive rail network for passengers connects many rural areas to major metropolitan centres. The mining sector is reliant on rail to transport its product to Australia's ports for export.

A number of incidents, some racially motivated, that occur on public transport in the country have been uploaded onto social media, causing controversy both nationally and internationally. Statistics suggest that the occurrence of such incidents has not risen, rather the wider availability of technology has simply made them available to a wider audience. Despite this, some offences are not reported, leading to inaccurate statistics.[1] Legislation and preventive measures have been enforced to reduce crime on public transport.[1]

Australia has the second highest level of car ownership in the world. It has three to four times more road per capita than Europe and seven to nine times more than Asia. Australia also has the third highest per capita rate of fuel consumption in the world. Melbourne is the most car-dependent city in Australia, according to a data survey in the 2010s. Having over 110,000 more cars driving to and from the city each day than Sydney. Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane are rated as being close behind. All these capital cities are rated among the highest in this category in the world (car dependency).[2] Furthermore, the distance travelled by car (or similar vehicle) in Australia is among the highest in the world, being exceeded by USA and Canada.[3]

There are 3 different categories of Australian roads. They are federal highways, state highways and local roads. The road network comprises a total of 913,000 km broken down into:[4]

paved: 353,331 km (including 3,132 km of expressways)

unpaved: 559,669 km (1996 estimate)

Victoria has the largest network, with thousands of arterial (major, primary and secondary) roads to add.

The majority of road tunnels in Australia have been constructed since the 1990s to relieve traffic congestion in metropolitan areas, or to cross significant watercourses.

Trams in Australia historically serviced many Australian towns and several cities formerly operated tram networks, however the majority of these were shut down before the 1970s. Melbourne is a major exception here however, and today boasts the largest tram network of any city in the world. Adelaide has also retained one tram service - the Glenelg Tram that runs from Adelaide City Centre to Glenelg Beach. Major regional cities where trams formerly facilitated multi-modal public transport networks include Launceston, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Rockhampton.

The railway network is large, comprising a total of 33,819 km (2,540 km electrified) of track: 3,719 km broad gauge, 15,422 km standard gauge, 14,506 km narrow gauge and 172 km dual gauge. Rail transport started in the various colonies at different dates. Privately owned railways started the first lines, and struggled to succeed on a remote, huge, and sparsely populated continent, and government railways dominated. Although the various colonies had been advised by London to choose a common gauge, the colonies ended up with different gauges.

In Tasmania, 'TasRail' operates a short haul narrow gauge freight system, that carries inter-modal and bulk mining goods. TasRail is government owned (by the State of Tasmania) and is going through a significant below and above rail upgrades with new locomotives and wagons entering service. Significant bridge and sleeper renewal has also occurred. The Tasmanian Government also operates the 'West Coast Wilderness Railway' as a tourist venture over an isolated length of track on Tasmania's West Coast.

Major cities in Australia do not have full-fledged rapid transit systems. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth's systems are all partially underground. Melbourne has plans for a new train service branded as a metro, but as it will interact with the suburban system and won't be grade-separated from Footscray out, it will fall short of the criteria of a metro.

As of June 2014, a rapid transit system for Sydney is currently in tunnelling stages, with the first line to be the North West Rail Link. This new line will connect to the existing Epping to Chatswood railway line, which will be converted to rapid transit standards. It was also announced by Premier Mike Baird on 10 June 2014 that a proposed rapid transit extension will continue from Chatswood, through a second harbour crossing, the city centre, and onto the current Bankstown Line, if funding from selling and privatisation of at least 49% of the state's power infrastructure goes through.[12] The North West Rail Link will be the first rapid transit system in an Australian city.

Four heavy-duty mining railways carry iron ore to ports in the northwest of Western Australia. These railways carry no other traffic, and are isolated by deserts from all other railways. The lines are standard gauge and are built to the heaviest US standards.

Between 1850 and 1940 paddle steamers were used extensively on the Murray-Darling Basin to transport produce, especially wool and wheat, to river ports such as Echuca, Mannum and Goolwa. However, the water levels of the inland waterways are highly unreliable, making the rivers impassable for large parts of the year. A system of locks was created largely to overcome this variability but the steamers were unable to compete with rail, and later, road transport. Traffic on inland waterways is now largely restricted to private recreational craft.[16]

In 2006, the Australian fleet consisted of 53 ships of 1,000 gross register tons or over. The use of foreign registered ships to carry Australian cargoes between Australian ports is permitted under a permit scheme, with either Single Voyage Permit (SVP) or a Continuous Voyage Permit (CVP) being issued to ships.[17] Between 1996 and 2002 the number of permits issued has increased by about 350 per cent.[18]

Over recent years the number of Australian registered and flagged ships has greatly declined, from 75 ships in 1996 to less than 40 in 2007, by 2009 the number is now approaching 30. Marine unions blame the decline on the shipping policy of the Howard Government which permitted foreign ships to carry coastal traffic.[19] There have also been cases where locally operated ships have Australian flag from the vessel, registering it overseas under a flag of convenience, then hiring foreign crews who earn up to about half the monthly rate of Australian sailors.[18] Such moves were supported by the Howard Government but opposed by maritime unions and the Australian Council of Trade Unions.[20] The registration of the ships overseas also meant the earnings of the ships are not subject to Australian corporate taxation laws.[19]

The environmental impact of transport in Australia is considerable. In 2009, transport emissions made up 15.3% of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2009, transport emissions grew by 34.6%, the second-highest growth rate in emissions after stationary energy.[21]

Australia subsidizes fossil fuel energy, keeping prices artificially low and raising greenhouse gas emissions due to the increased use of fossil fuels as a result of the subsidies[citation needed]. The Australian Energy Regulator and state agencies such as the New South Wales' Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal set and regulate electricity prices, thereby lowering production and consumer cost.

^ abMartin Byrne (22 October 2009). "A new tanker ship for Australia". Letter from the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers to the Federal Minister. www.aimpe.asn.au. Retrieved 2009-11-08.